We put 11 hammer drills to the test to find the best tool—no holes barred.

Skil 6445-01

Skil 6445-01

Cordless drills are great. But when you've got big holes to bore in concrete, only 120 volts will do. That's where the corded hammer drill comes in. It's a heavy-duty switch-hitter that goes from hammer to non-hammer mode with the flip of a lever, allowing you to ram a hole into concrete or bore into wood with equal ease. It might sound like a pricey tool meant for contractors, but it's not. You can join the hammer-drill club for as little as $40.

We gathered 11 tools, chucked in a 5/8-inch Vermont American carbide-tip masonry bit and timed the drills as they bored through concrete blocks. Then we used a 1-inch spade bit in non-hammer mode to bore through 2x lumber. All the tools did well, but some were distinctly easier on the testers. Your search for the right tool starts here.

Bosch 1191VSR

Bosch 1191VSR

Price: $100

Amps: 7.0

Max. RPM: 3000

Max. Blows/Minute: 48,000

Concrete: 3.97 seconds

Lumber: 1.03 seconds

Likes: Simply stated, the Bosch rocks. It's no secret why: Couple a 7-amp motor to an aggressive hammer mechanism and bring all of that power through a solid chuck, and you've got a tool that will blast through block and wood alike. The Bosch is also light, sleek and not terribly expensive.

Dislikes: Bosch should put the chuck key on a lanyard to keep it from getting lost, and simplify the over-engineered auxiliary handle.